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 Principal Gene Newton read off a list of Gasaway's
accomplishments, which included three state championships and a
total of 26 state appearances. Gasaway also won 1,110 games while
coaching and earned a spot in the IBCA Hall of Fame in 1991. He
retired from coaching and teaching in 2002 and still resides in
Mount Pulaski.
School board member Doug Martin introduced Coach Gasaway, who was
greeted with a standing ovation by the crowd. Martin spoke of the
board's decision in the spring to name the gym after Coach Gasaway.
Martin stated, "The board felt this was a wonderful way to honor
Coach Gasaway for his dedication to the school, students and
athletes he taught and coached for more than 40 years. His ability
to teach the work ethic and fundamentals involved in becoming a
successful athlete were evident through the years by the continued
success of the teams that he coached. He instilled his passion for
sports into his players, many of which still have the knowledge and
love for the game today, which all began right here in this
gymnasium under his guidance." Martin continued, " Both personally
and professionally Coach Gasaway is one of the most admired and
respected individuals in the community and is a true legend of
Illinois basketball."
 On behalf of the school board, Martin thanked and congratulated
Coach Gasaway and announced the unveiling of the sign that reads,
"Bob Gasaway Gymnasium."
Again a standing ovation ensued by both the Mount Pulaski and West
Lincoln Broadwell crowds.
As Gasaway took center stage to say a few words he thanked everyone
for the great honor and recognized his former players. "They are the
reason I am standing here. They did a great job. I had excellent
players, some really talented players. I enjoyed every team I
coached. They were all special."
Gasaway also thanked two special people who helped during the last
few years of his coaching. "Stu Erlenbush and Tim Milner did a whale
of job helping the boys and helping me, too."
He also noted how vital the scorekeepers are to a coach and he
recognized two of them in the crowd, Brett Garlits and Mary Stewart.
To the young players on the court, he urged them to dedicate
themselves if they want to be successful at the game of basketball.
He stressed the importance of practice and fundamentals, not only in
the gym, but also at home. "I know everybody likes to shoot, but
there's also dribbling, passing and other facets of the game that
you need to work on at home. But the most important thing I can tell
you is to get your studies. Hit the books because long after you've
taken off your basketball shoes, all that knowledge you gained here
will be the most valuable to you." Gasaway drew laughs from the
crowd when he said, "Make sure you always stay eligible for the
coach's sake."
Gasaway also recognized Pat and Julie Butkovich in attendance. He
mentioned that he was so happy for them as on December 2nd the high
school gym will be named in honor of Coach Ed Butkovich.
[to top of second column] |
In closing, Gasaway reiterated what an honor it
was to have the gym named after him. "Every time I come in here
from now on to a ballgame, I'll look up there and think of all
the 32 years of games and practices and all the tournaments
we've held here." He also mentioned his successful teams of the
'80s who had 13 state appearances.
Finally he recognized the individual he coached that went the
furthest in his athletic career. "Dennis Werth is here tonight,"
Coach Gasaway told the crowd, asking Werth to stand up. "A great
friend of mine, Dennis made it all the way to the Yankees and I
am really proud of him. He's going to be inducted into the
Lincoln College Hall of Fame tomorrow night." A very
appreciative Coach Gasaway ended his speech by saying the day
turned out great and "you people really rocked the house here
tonight."
Following the dedication folks mingled over to the corner of the
gym to offer their congratulations to Gasaway. One of those men
was John Jaggi of Decatur. Jaggi holds the distinct honor of
being the only person to ever play against Gasaway, coach
against Gasaway and referee Gasaway's 1,000 victory. Jaggi grew
up in Chestnut and as a player his Wildcats played against a
Lake Fork team coached by Gasaway. Later on as Jaggi coached
Mount Auburn he drew Mount Pulaski in the regionals and luckily,
he says, "Gasaway was nice to me and called off the press
early." And finally he was on the court as a referee for
Gasaway's 1,000 win in Mount Pulaski. He also mentioned that
remarkably Gasaway only had one technical in his entire coaching
career and that was for being out of the coach's box.
Steve Hayes, a member of the 1980 state championship team,
recalls how Gasaway always kept his cool. "The thing I remember
most is his composure and his ability to not get excited at
either a bad call or a good call." Hayes appreciates this more
now that he coaches his daughter's basketball teams. "He was
great to play for and I learned a lot," Hayes continued.
Meanwhile 1980 teammate Pat Walsh said, "The gym was always open
so the opportunity was always there to play basketball." Walsh
admired Gasaway's integrity and called him the "John Wooden of
Mount Pulaski basketball." Walsh summed it up pretty well by
saying, "He is the ultimate class act."
 Dennis Werth also shared his thoughts on Coach Gasaway by
saying, "As a kid you don't always appreciate what others have
done for you, but the older you get the more appreciation you
have for the people that spent time with you when you were
young. For me, Gasaway was one of those people who took the time
to lead me in the right direction. Bob Gasaway was the key
component to me being a good kid."
Finally a quick word with the man of the evening summed things
up just perfectly. "It was a tremendous night."
Note: West Lincoln Broadwell defeated Mount Pulaski in both
games. The 7th graders from WLB won 40-37 and the 8th graders
from WLB won 47-42.
[Teena Lowery] |
